BEIJING, March 14 -- The Supreme People's Procuratorate (SPP) announced Friday that a senior official in central China's Hubei Province has been placed under criminal investigation.

Chen Baihuai, former vice chairman of Hubei Provincial Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, is under investigation for alleged abuse of power and bribe-taking, the SPP said in a statement.

Coercive measures have been imposed on Chen in accordance with the law and the investigation is under way, it said.

Chen was expelled from the Communist Party of China and removed from public office on March 7.